Amour 2017 Days 4 & 5: Kiss & Sweets
by FyoraHime
Summary: A fic combining two of the week's prompts because life prevented me from making 2 separate pieces. :( After a wonderful day together in Alola, Ash wants to thank Serena for visiting him.


"Do you really have to leave tomorrow?"

Serena nodded her head sadly with her eyes closed. She couldn't bear to look at Ash right now, knowing she'd find his pleading, puppy eyes staring back at her. No matter how hard she tried to resist, she couldn't help but melt when she saw that precious, pathetic expression.

Luckily, Ash was also extremely understanding about their situation. "Okay," he murmured. "You have contests to enter, and I have classes to attend." Judging from his tone, he had already recovered from his earlier disappointment. "Next time, I'll visit _you_ in Hoenn to see you in the Grand Festival!"

The honey blonde performer giggled shyly. "I don't know if I'll get five ribbons," she admitted. "I'm really just there to learn from contests. It's like school for me too, in a way." She paused, finding herself withdrawing into her shell as she seriously evaluated her position. "I probably can't compete with all of those coordinators who have built their lives around contests. I'm probably not Top Coordinator material," she whispered. She tried to lighten the mood with a laugh, but it sounded sheepish and feeble. Serena finally opened her eyes again to peek at him, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw his intense, deep brown gaze boring into her.

"You won't get five ribbons if you think like that!" he admonished her. "You were nearly Kalos Queen! You have experience that none of the other coordinators have! If anything, that makes you more likely to do well in contests, right?" His eyes then softened, and he leaned back to lay down in the sand. "Too bad there's no shopping involved in the Grand Festival," he joked, trying to restore the cheerfulness from earlier in the day. "I've never seen anyone leave the marketplace with that much fruit for such a low price!"

Serena puffed her chest out proudly as she declared, "If nothing else, I'm the queen of haggling!" Smiling, she leaned back as well so she could lay down beside him. "Do you have any classes on kayaking? I can't believe you managed to paddle all by yourself while Pikachu and I just took pictures of the water Pokemon." The two of them probably could have lent more aid, but Alola was full of beautiful Pokemon that the Kalosian young woman had never seen before or even imagined in her wildest dreams.

"Actually, we had a field trip once, and I did get a grade on that!" he informed her with a grin. "I aced kayaking, of course. I still need to work on my riding skills, though. Tauros is a lot more temperamental than Rhyhorn." His voice trailed off awkwardly as he recalled how Serena mounted and navigated the bull Pokemon with ease on her first try. Her affinity with ride Pokemon was almost otherworldly.

For a moment, the two young trainers rested in silence, reflecting on their fun-filled, eventful day. Even though they participated in a variety of island activities, since Ash wanted to treat Serena to the best experiences Melemele could offer, they had never felt rushed or overwhelmed. Just being in each other's presence was all they needed to feel at ease. That was all they had ever needed back in Kalos, and even during that brief moment they had spent together at Oak's summer camp.

Without warning, Ash jerked upright into a sitting position. The sharp movement startled Serena, who also bolted upright in a panic. "Ash, what's wrong?" she asked as he rummaged frantically through his backpack.

His hasty scrambling suddenly ceased, and slower, more hesitant, more meticulous movements took their place. He turned carefully to face her, gingerly placing his backpack in front of his body. "Before you go tomorrow," he began awkwardly, "I just... There's one more thing I need to do."

A kiss.

Ash Ketchum offered her a kiss.

A solid chocolate kiss that weighed at least a pound.

The raven-haired boy lifted the confection from his backpack and held it out to her. His face was almost as red as the last dying rays of the sunset as he presented the gift.

Unsure of what to say, Serena's gaze flickered back and forth between the kiss and the flustered boy. She reached out with shaky hands to take the sweet from him. The two of them hadn't kissed ever since they first parted ways in the Kalos airport. In fact, neither of them had even referred to that fleeting yet simultaneously eternal moment ever since it occurred.

"Thank you," he blurted out once she accepted the treat. He was clearly embarrassed, judging from the deep blush on his cheeks, but his eyes were shining and he was smiling gleefully.

Of course. This was his response. She had thanked him- for the experiences, for his inspiration, for opening a new world to her, for their friendship as well as the stronger feelings he stirred in her heart- in her own special way. He was doing the exact same thing in a similar, but still uniquely Ash Ketchum, way.

A kiss for a kiss.


End file.
